Houma considers skate park for locals

Monday

Apr 12, 2010 at 6:00 AM

A new push for a public skate park is in the works, and advocates are looking at the concrete hills and bowls in Hammond's skater oasis as a model.

Naomi KingStaff Writer

HAMMOND — Houma's skaters are a nomadic clan of kids and adults, finding rails and ramps behind stores or building their own in driveways and backyards.But a new push for a public skate park is in the works, and advocates are looking at the concrete hills and bowls in Hammond's skater oasis as a model.Since it opened in 2005, visitors from all over the state and country flock to catch air, grind and hang out with a tight-knit group, from skaters as young as 6 to those in their 20s and 30s and 40s. Skaters and their families also spend money in Hammond, buying gas, food and skateboard gear from local businesses.While Hammond reaps rewards from its 15,000-square-foot park, Terrebonne Parish officials are beginning to discuss whether to build a similar one. It's the second time in about four years that supporters have attempted to get a skate park established in Houma, but local skaters say the idea has come up four or five times without gaining traction.The difference this time is that a significant amount of money has been set aside — a $10,000 donation from former Bayou Cane Fire Chief Jerry Gautreaux, who died a month ago. A friend to children and teenagers who had been ticketed for skateboarding, Gautreaux left the money in his will because he wanted the skaters to have a safe place to practice their sport, his family said.Another boost is interest of the national Tony Hawk Foundation. The organization, founded by pioneering pro skater Tony Hawk, learned of Houma's skate-park plans through The Courier's Web site a week ago, foundation officials said. The group has since contacted Terrebonne Parish Councilman Kevin Voisin, who has been a skateboard proponent since he took office a year ago and has vowed to work with Gautreaux's family to make his dream a reality.

POPULAR UNDERGROUNDThough he hasn't been at the forefront of the local movement in the past, Monty Collins of Houma said he's ready to help start a park because Houma doesn't offer enough options for kids. He has built his own bowl in his backyard, but the woodwork is hard to maintain and he can only open it to a few people.Adults with an interest in skating should support a skate park, he said, because they vote and pay taxes and can influence others with deeper pockets to pitch in.“I still want a skate park,” said the 40-year-old father of three. “I'm pretty much past my prime, but I still like to rip it up.”Skaters say local trespassing and anti-skateboarding laws that result in tickets and fines may have deterred some kids from the sport. A park would erase the negative stigma skateboarding has garnered locally, said 15-year-old Cameron Hebert of Houma.“There's kids getting in and out of it,” said Hebert, who attends Evergreen Junior High. “They don't follow through because we don't have anywhere and they don't want to get in trouble.”Since it's expensive and time-consuming to get to Hammond's park, Hebert said he and friends only go every three months or so. Having one closer would increase the sport's popularity in Houma, he predicted.According to statistics from the National Sporting Goods Association, more children are skateboarding each year. In 1998, about 5.8 million skaters above the age of 7 participated in the sport. In 2008, there were 9.8 million skateboarding in the United States.The Tony Hawk Foundation estimates that there are 9.3 million skateboarders in the country, and 1 in 6 youth are skateboarders. “It's no longer that fringe group. It's mainstream,” said Miki Vuckovich, the foundation's executive director.The nonprofit has helped 1,500 communities build skate parks since it was established in 2002 through $3.1 million in grants, counseling and informational guides.Grants range between $5,000 and $25,000, Vuckovich said, and Houma may be eligible for such assistance because the area falls within the group's goal to help communities with lower-than-average incomes. If not, the foundation can show Houma skaters and advocates how to set up a park.

AN ECONOMIC BOOSTHammond Mayor Mayson Foster said the $350,000 park, fully paid for with local sales-tax dollars, was never intended to be an economic-development tool, though it has proven to be a draw for the city.Professional skateboarders have filmed videos in Hammond's park, locals said. And one couple moved to the city from California specifically for the park, the mayor said. Folsom vegetable farmer John Bartlett came to Hammond Tuesday to get parts for his tractor and made a stop at the park. The 26-year-old keeps his board in his truck because “you never know when the bug will get you,” he said.A couple of times each month, Covington mother Jennifer DelaHoussaye brings her sons, 8-year-old Clayton and 6-year-old Christopher, to the skate park.“Once we discovered it, that was it. They ask to come all the time,” the 38-year-old mother said.Oscar Cruz, a 37-year-old skateboarder who works as a bike shop sales manager in New Orleans, comes to Hammond every Tuesday to skate at the park, shop at the town's skateboard shop and catch up with the shop's owner, Kerry Simpson. The older skaters understand the importance of keeping the local scene alive by supporting local businesses, Simpson said.“All my fondest memories revolve around this,” Cruz said of skateboarding. “It's getting in tune with yourself. It puts me in a place where I'm at peace.”

A DANGEROUS SPORT?Skateboard advocates say their sport is no more dangerous than football, basketball or other traditional “stick-and-ball” games. The key to making sure parks avoid responsibility for any injuries is to keep it public and unmanned, they say. The park is easier to maintain and cheaper to build, too, if it's concrete because it's more durable.Location is also important. A fire station sits across the street from Hammond's park, and traffic is constantly moving past the busy downtown intersection, allowing patrolling police to easily keep watch on the park.Hammond keeps the park open from dawn till dusk and has a few basic rules posted on a sign in the park. If the city were to begin paying someone to monitor the park, it opens the local government up to liability, said Kerry Simpson, owner of Hammond's Small Time Skates and one of the original park advocates.State law was amended in 2001 to include skate parks in the same category as playgrounds and ball fields, meaning governments that build them are generally free from liability.Anyone who tries to use liability and risk as an excuse to not build a skate park doesn't know the law, Simpson said.In California, for instance, there are 350 skate parks and 1.5 million skateboarders, Vuckovich said. To date, there's not been a single lawsuit, he said.“The record's pretty clear, skate parks are not as dangerous as people expect,” Vuckovich said.In the park's four-year existence, no lawsuits have been filed against Hammond, said Recreation Director Joey Keener. Occasionally kids graffiti the park, he said, but recreation staff cover it with gray paint. Fights break out — about five times in four years — but the bulk of the problems come from people who aren't skateboarders, Keener said.What keeps the park in check is its location and visitors who police themselves. Younger skaters are mentored by the older ones, and there's a circular flow that most skaters follow around the outside of the park.“It gets crazy. At any time people will go any direction,” said Bartlett, when asked what happens when dozens of kids show up to the Hammond skate park. “Just watch where you're going. Just keep your head up.”Keener said some people questioned who would use the skatepark and whether it would be substantial. The answer is everyone, he said.“They've got a strong scene there and it's because of the park,” said Collins, who often visits Hammond. “It's the only place where a 35-year-old and 8-year-old can vibe on the same level. ... We need that in Houma.”

Staff Writer Naomi King can be reached at 857-2209 or naomi.king@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @HoumaGov.